Improvement in paper-folding machines



2 Sheets--Sheet 2. G. CHAM BERS, .ll. 81. W. MEN DHAM.

Paper-Folding Machines.

Patentd August 5, 1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CYRUS CHAMBERS, J R, AND WILLIAM MENDHAM, O-F PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO EDWIN CHAMBERS AND CYRUS CHAMBERS,

JR, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PAPER-FOLDING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,489, dated August 5, 1873; application filed May 13, 1873.

CASE A.

Fig. 2 isa vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view or plan of the feed-table. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale through the creasing-roller,

drop-roller, griping-roller, and folding-roller,

and some of the adjacent parts. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section of the foldingrollers X, showing the position of the rods Z Z and of the sheet of paper relatively to said rollers and the folding-blade P. Fig. 6 presents a side and edge view of the compound cam Q, showing the device for its independent and combined adjustment.

The same letter of reference indicates the same part wherever it occurs.

Our invention relates to machinery for folding newspapers and other sheets of paper which are fed directly to the machine without being previously pointed or held in position for register by means of register-pins. It consists in improvements in the feed-table and in new devices for creasing, gripin g, guiding, and folding the sheet, and operating the folding-rollers, all as hereinafter more particularly set forth.

In the drawings, A marks a stout iron framing, of the construction usual in machines of this general character, which supports the operative parts. Upon the top of this frame rests an inclined feed-table, B B, on which the bank of sheets to befolded is placed. The forward part B of this table is hinged to the after part at a, so that the forward part can be lifted and turned up out of the way to allow of the ready inspection of the mechanism beneath whenever, for any cause, access to it becomes desirable. On one side of this table are placed the gages C C, which guide the edge of the sheet to be folded. These gages are adjustable laterally by means of arms having the slots 7) b and c and the set-screws d d and e. The contiguous ends of the gages are cut away, as shown in Fig. 2, to allow of the folding back of the front leaf B of the table to a position at an acute angle to the body B. E is the main shaft of the machine, to which the driving-power is applied. On this shaft is placed the griping-cylinder F, whose circumference is greater than one-half the length of the longest sheet of paper to be folded by the machine. On the farther end of cylinder F is a gear, k, which meshes on one side with a similar gear, j, on the end of the creasing-cylinder G, and on the other with a gear, I, on the end of folding-roller I. Gear l meshes into a pinion, m, on the shaft n, which carries the tape-rollers i t 45, 850. On

shaft is a bevel-pinion, p, which meshes into a similar pinion, g, on the end of the shaft 00 of folding-roller X-one of the last pairs of folding-rollers. On the front end of the main shaft is a toothed pinion, D, which engages with the teeth of cam-gear J on the end of the cam-shaft K. On the farther end of shaft K is a face-cam, L, on which moves a small roller in the end of a lever, lVI, attached to the end of shaft N, to which the last foldingblade 1? is attached by means of the arms to a. The cam L is so timed as to give the proper movements to the folding-blade P. On the inner face of gearJ is attached a double 9am, Q, formed of two, adjustable cam-plates or disks, movable upon each other, and fixed in the desired relative positions by means of the set-screws o o in the curved slots 20 20. Against the perimeter of this cam Q runs a small roller in the free end of a lever, B, whose fixed end is attached to the end of shaft S, to which the arms h h of the drop-roller H are affixed. Thus the cam Q gives the proper vibratory movements to the'drop-roller H. To lever It is pivoted an arm, T, the other end of which is pivoted to a crank-lever on the end of a rock-shaft, U, to which it imparts motion.

To this shaft are attached the two vibrating stops W which arrest the forward edge of the ing around rollerF. The stops WV and fingers V are received into recesses in roller F, and are caused to project from or disappear in said recesses by the movements of the rockshaft U, which are so timed relatively to those of the drop-roller and the creasing and fold ing rollers, as to cause the stops W to project up out of roller F at the proper instant to receive the edge of the sheet just before the drop-roller falls to clamp it in contact with roller F, and start it in between that roller and roller G, which latter creases its line of fold, and also to cause the fingers V to project from roller F at the-moment the end of the sheet arrives at that part of the roller in which they lie concealed, and cause the end of the sheet to pass on horizontally under rods 8, in stead of being carried up between rollers F and I. When the creased line of the sheet arrives at the same point, the fingers have been retracted into the roller, and the creased sheet doubles upon itself and passes up between rollers F and I to receive its first fold, and

passes out on tapes under rods r until arrested by stop Y, directly over the second pair of folding-rollers X X, as hereinafter more fully described.

The cylinders F and G are of equal diam eter, and turn accurately together in the same time. The cylinderGis provided with a creasin g-bladc, g, as seen in Figs. 2 311(14, attached to one side of a V-shaped opening in said roller, and projecting slightly above its surface. This bladeg is made elastic so as to permit it to accommodate itself to the difference of velocity between its movement and that of the slit in which it is received. This difference is due to the fact that the blade projects beyond the periphery of roller G, while the bottom of the slit is, of course, within the periphcry of roller F. The rollers F and G being of equal diameter and moving together, it follows that the projecting edge of blade 9 must move faster than the indented slit, into which it forces the sheet to crease it. The cylinder F is provided with a series of spring-gripers, j, which bear against the side of a slit or opening in said cylinder as clearly shown in Fig. 4. As the cylinders G and F revolve the creasing;blade g is, for an instant, pressed into the slit in cylinder F and forces the gripers f back. The gripers project slightly at their rear above the surface of cylinder F, so that when said cylinder, by its revolution, brings the gripers in contact with roller I the gripers will be pressed back out of contact with the side of the slit in the cylinder and their gripe be relaxed. The gearing is so timed as to bring down the drop-roller H once for every three revolutions of the cylinders F and G, and to operate the stop W and fingers Vin the same relative tunes. Curved rods it pass up around the cylinder F in the manner shown in 2 and 4, the ends terminating in grooves in the cylinder G, and turn the sheet into a horizontal position as it comes from the cylinders. Beds 8 are placed above the rods t to keep the sheet in position upon them. Curved rods 4', whose ends enter grooves in cylinder F, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, are placed over the carrying-tapes, which run 011 the tape-rollcrsi i i, &c., at either end of the machine. These rods turn the once-folded sheet as it passes from between cylinder F and roller I into a horizontal position, to be carried by the tapes beneath the final folding-blade 1?. Wires or rods Z Z are placed over the rollers X far enough apart to allow the blade and paper to pass between them, as shown in Fig. 5.- The object of these rods is to bear off the sheet from the folding-rollers X X until the foldingknifeP descends and introduces the sheet between those rollers, thus preventing the disturbance of register which might occur if the sheet came in contact with moving rollers before receiving the blow of the folding-blade. The sheet, when it reaches this point, is double-i. 0., consists of one fold within another. If the sheet in this condition came in cohtact with a rapidly-rotating pair of 'foldin g-rollers, the lower fold or piece of paper would be liable to be caught by the bite of the rollers and drawn in slightly in advance of the upper fold or piece, which would cause wrinkling, make bad register, and thus/destroy the perfection of the work. By bearing off the sheet from the rollers till the folding-blade brings both folds or pieces simultaneously and fully with in the bite of the rollers this evil is prevented.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The sheet to be folded is fed into the machine by the operator till its forward edge comes in contact with the stop W. The drop-roller then comes down and holds the edge against cylinder F, and the stops W fall into their grooves below the surface of the cylinder. The forward end of the sheet passes between the cylinder F and the curved rodsfitl It is prevented from following round the cylinder by the fingers V, which project from the cylinder, as

shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and deflect the sheet from the cylinder and cause its forward end to pass between the rods 8 and t. When the middle of the sheet, or the line of the first fold, comes opposite the line of contact of the creasing-blade g and the recess and the gripers f the blade 9 forces the sheet into the recess and the bite of the gripers on the line of the first fold. They hold the sheet on that line until they carry it into the bite of the rollers F I, when the pressure of roller I against the heel of the gripers releases the sheet from their gripe, and the folded edge passes under rods 1" and out on the carryingtapes under blade P, as before described. are withdrawn. within cylinder F, when the gripers pass up, with the sheet in their grasp, between rollers F and I to receive the first fold. The last fold is given by rollers X X, be-

The fingers V tween which the once-folded sheetisintroduced by the folding-blade 1?. Before the descent of blade P the sheet is supported by the rods Z, which prevent the under half of the once-folded sheet from coming in contact with the roller and being carried in before the crease is definitely made in the upper half, thus closely tucking the upper half within the lower, and compelling them to pass between the rollers without separating from each other at the unfolded end. If the blade could descend faster than the surface of the rollers move, these rods would be unnecessary; but that is impracticable in fast-running machines. 7

Any number of additional folds can be given to the sheet by the introduction of the ordinary folding mechanism described in the wellknown Chambers patents, andthe folded sheets are packed and dealt with in the usual way.

The cylinderFhas been described as having recesses in it in which the stops W and fingers V are received. In practice we have found it convenient and economical to make this cylinder of the desired number of separate rollers or disks keyed upon a common shaft, E, at the proper distance apart to form the required recesses.

The double or compound cam Q is adjustable, one plate or disk upon the other, and secured by a screw through aslot, and both disks together are adjustable and secured to the gear by another screw working through a slot in the gear, so that the time the drop-roller remains down and the fingers V out may be varied or regulated to suit the length of the sheet being folded. Moreover, the time when its motion shall occur may be regulated without affecting the other adjustment. This last adjustment regulates the position of the sheet relative to the creasing-rollers, and consequently the position of the first foldi. e., its distance from the end of the sheet.

Having thus fully described our invention,

for operating them, as and for the purposes described. p

4. The guide-fingers V, operating as and for the purpose specified.

5. The elastic creasing-blade g, in combination with the recess in roller F for creasing the paper while on the run, as set-forth.

6. The cylinder F, composed of separate disks or rollers placed on a common shaft, E, at suitable distances apart, in combination with the vibrating fingers V, arranged and operating in the manner described.

7. The wires Z Z placed above a pair of folding-rollers and oneither side of the foldingblade, as and for the purpose specified.

The above specification of our said invention signed and witnessed at Philadelphia this 29th day of March, A. D. 1873.

CYRUS CHAMBERS, J R. WILLIAM MENDHAM. Witnesses:

JOHN ALEXANDER, J. S. KITE. 

